


Maximum Mall Santa

by Zell_Hatoule



Category: Astral Chain (Video Game)
Genre: Akira is suffering, Alicia loves kids, Christmas Feels, F/M, Is probably Jin's favorite thing said, Jin loves his boyfriend, M/M, Max (Astral Chain) is a fucking dork, Team Neuron before Team Neuron was a thing, revenge bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21964342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zell_Hatoule/pseuds/Zell_Hatoule
Summary: Max Howard got the job he was hoping he wouldn’t. So, for petty revenge, Max is going to drag Jin and Alicia in on it. Jin is resigned to wearing the sexy costume, and Alicia just wants to be out of the elf clothes. AKA Team Neuron suffers as always with Holiday Fun. Bonus twin content. Sequel of sorts to of Captains and Rabbits.
Relationships: Hal/Player Character (Astral Chain), Maximilian Howard/Jin Wong
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Maximum Mall Santa

Max’s expression conveys his disdain more elegantly than any other, the decorated cop staring disbelievingly at the assignment given to him. At her assigned desk, Alicia is  _ howling _ , her fist pounding against the table. Jin looks like he knows  _ exactly _ where Max’s thoughts are heading, pinches the bridge of his nose as though warding a headache off. He’d gone and dyed his hair back to brown a week ago, though at Max’s pleading, he’d kept some of the blond in it, and Max can see the moment he resigns himself to his fate.

“You make me an elf, and I’ll castrate you,” Jin sighs, head on the desk. “... which makes me Mrs. Claus.  _ God damn it. _ ” Alicia, who overheard the whole thing, was no fool. Her eyes narrow.

“You are  _ not _ making me an elf,” she declares, to the poorly muffled snickers of the rest of Neuron. Max gives her a sidelong look, smirks. “You’re  _ not _ ,” she says louder, in poorly concealed panic. Jin’s shoulders are already starting to shake, his laughter silent as he hiccups over his giggles. “Jin switch with me,” she pleads, and Jin turns a perfectly delivered stink eye on her.

“After that Halloween costume swap, you lost all your good-will with me,” Jin deadpans, and the woman gasps dramatically, looks deeply horrified. Jin rolls his eyes to the ceiling. “At the rate I’m going, I should probably get myself a sexy Mrs. Claus costume.” He bemoans, before putting his head back in his arms.

The snickering gets louder, and Max wishes he had a camera.

* * *

“Should I be worried that you know your way around this specific costume shop?” Max asks him dubiously, watches Jin sort through the black heels in dubious entertainment.

Jin pauses from where he’s rifling through them, and answers idly over his shoulder, “The twins took me here for the Halloween costume I had.” Max pauses, eyes him lavisciously.

“Any chance for a repeat of those stockings, then?” He asks, and Jin laughs, a dusting of blush over his cheeks highlighting his freckles.

“I’ll be wearing boots,” Jin reminds him mildly, amusement on his face. “Most of those will be covered.” Max pouts, tucks his chin on Jin’s shoulder and gives a whine at him. Jin chuckles at his childlike behavior, shows him a pair of white-bottomed heels. “These look good? I can get red laces.” Max wraps his arms around Jin’s waist, eyes it.

“Yeah, I guess they would.” Max hums slightly, grins at the way Jin blushes deeper at his over-affectionate cuddling. “Be easier to tell if I could see them  _ on _ you, though,” Max teases, and Jin rolls his eyes, his omnipresent flush still on his face.

“You say that about all the clothes I try to get,” he complains, wriggles free of Max’s grip. Max clings a little, before pressing a chaste kiss to the back of his neck.

“I do like a man confident in sexy clothing.” Max teases him huskily, before letting go, Jin stumbling and blushing furiously.

“You need to stop doing that,” Jin grumbles, hand rubbing against where Max had kissed him. “Next thing I know, you’ll ask me to wear the female uniform,” he complains, and Max stops, eyes him. Jin’s response to that action is to turn around and start walking as quickly as he dared, Max’s laughter following behind him the entire way. Max catches up to him, catching him by the waist before Jin can hide in the changing room, peppering kisses over his skin in apology.

“I’m sorry… I like seeing my favorite officer in clothes that make him look good. Is that a crime?” He teases fondly, and Jin scowls at him half-heartedly. It quickly slips into fond amusement, and he dips in to kiss Max, lingering slightly before freeing himself.

“Am I really your favorite officer?” Jin says in exasperated amusement. Max gives him an indignant look, and when he opens his mouth to protest Jin putting himself down yet again, Jin slides into his arms, slipping his tongue into Max’s mouth as he kisses his boyfriend. Max gives a weak whimper, and his hands fall from Jin’s ribs to his hips. Jin pulls back, grins wickedly. “I’m joking Max. I know I am. Just wanted to catch you off guard.” Jin presses a kiss against his cheek, runs a thumb over his skin. Max’s mouth works for a moment, before he glares at Jin.

“Cheater,” he grumbles good-naturedly, allows Jin to toss some vaguely santa-like outfits into his arms. Jin chuckles, “Nothing sexy for me?” Max pouts, and Jin gives him a  _ look _ .

“I’m trying to embarrass Alicia, not kill her.” Jin says mildly, considers the fabric on an outfit before discarding it. “Now go and try it out. If you behave, I might model for you.” Max grins slightly, and he leans in for a kiss. Jin rolls his eyes, but indulges his affection-hungry Captain, kisses him softly.

“Greedy thing, aren’t you?” he teases softly, slides a tongue over wanting lips. “Go,” Jin scolds softly, goes back to the costumes. Max immediately whines at him, but plods off to go try out his new outfit and Jin grins in warm amusement, before fetching himself a costume. It unfortunately  _ had _ to be traditional, but even with his masculine figure, he could still pull off a reasonable Mrs. Claus. Finally, he takes a few good contenders, and gets an awkward clearing of Max’s throat.

Jin turns.

_ Oh wow. _ Jin thinks, admires his boyfriend. The outfit is trim and fits Max well, without showing off Jin’s favorite part too obviously. (Not that Jin  _ wasn’t _ going to be walking behind Max’s lovely self anyways, but now he had a good view.)

“You make a handsome Santa,” Jin teases, ducks forward to plant a kiss to a cheek. Max melts in relief, and Jin playfully tugs the hat on his head, gets an amused smile.

“Go you fiend,” he complains lightly, and laughing, Jin does so.

* * *

Akira busts out laughing the first time he sees them. Akane too, is giggling, eyes the getup the three were legally obligated to wear with open entertainment. Jin just rolls his eyes at them, and an embarrassed Alicia tugs the skirt of her green (Jin had been nice enough to get her a dark green dress than the tacky neons that the rest of the force was trying to get her in) dress down awkwardly.

“Aren’t they cute?” Jin says mildly, a touch of almost  _ evil _ amusement in his voice. The twins pause, and both of them toss suspicious looks in his direction. “They think they’re getting off light.” The two take a moment to process Jin’s words, and Akane (ever the smart one) takes off in a sprint, and Alicia snorts, breaks into a run after her. Akira is duly scruffed by Max, and he hands the struggling teenager over to Jin. “What’s the phrase I’m looking for? Ah, yes.  _ Revenge, bitch.”  _ Jin says chipperly.

Akira pouts all the way to the dressing room, and blanches at the sight of his costume. “Please don’t make me go out in that!” He begs, and Jin’s smile widens dangerously.

Akane busts out laughing at her brother, dressed in chipper elf green, when she realizes what her brother is wearing. “You make a pretty  _ Rudolph, _ Kiiiira!” She howls, shoulders shaking as she tries to fix her howling laughter to something more in control of her giggling. Her suited brother, bedecked with a particularly  _ festive _ set of bell-adorned antlers, glares.

“I hate you.” He tells Jin. “I’m not even the one who came up with the halloween costume,” he grumps, whines.

“Keep talking and next year I put you in spandex, rather than jeans and a vest.” Jin threatens with a pleasant smile.

Akira shuts up. Akane is still giggling softly, but she at least has the mercy to scoot over and hug her baby brother and plant a kiss against his cheek. He glares at her, shakes his head. Glitter rains on top of her hat. She grins at him, kisses his cheek fondly

“I’ll find you a friend, how’s that sound?” She says chipperly, and immediately goes skipping off to do that, an amused Jin watching.

“In the meantime, you can help us hand out presents,” Max tells his son, and Jin smiles slightly at the way the younger boy lights up. He knew Akira would die of embarrassment, but he also adored the hell out of small kiddos. Just like his old man. The boy scowls up at him, but the damage has been done - Alicia is already snickering at him.

* * *

“Hmm. Nope.” Akane decides on with a pout. No holiday spirit at  _ all! _ None of them were dressed for the -  _ oooh, was that a drone? _ Akane immediately bounds closer, ignores the indignant little  _ ‘hey!’ _ that comes from the speakers. “That’s so clever!” she gushes, and the drone’s owner preens.

It’s certainly cute - painted a sparkly bronze for the season, with a red light acting as Rudolph’s nose and a number of clever sensor wires twisted into a  _ lovely _ set of antlers with bells attached.

“Ah-ha ha… thanks?” the drone’s owner says awkwardly. “Er, not to be rude, but could you let my drone go now?” Akane realizes with a sudden flush that yes, yes she  _ was _ holding the poor drone.

“Oh! So sorry!” She apologizes, holds her hat on her head as she bows in apology. “I haven’t seen a drone this cool though,” she says apologetically to him, and the drone wiggles in obvious happiness.

“W _ell_ , how can I not appreciate someone who sees good quality?” The guy grins audibly from behind his drone, and spots of holo-projected pink appear where the drone’s optical sensors are. “Oh! I’m uh - I’m Hal,” the drone introduces himself, and she smiles at the drone.

“Akane! Are you holiday shopping?” Akane asks him with a wide, friendly smile, and he chuckles awkwardly again.

“Kind of? But there’s just… waaay too many people around. Too many people just… Er.” The way he says it has her giggling.

“Don’t worry, I get it. At least, I get it a little,” she smiles fondly at Hal. “I was hoping maybe you could give me a hand, actually! My little brother got roped into helping my Dad while he’s in the mall to hand out presents, and… well. He’s dressed like Rudolph. Think you could show him some moral support? Just long enough for him to not feel so awkward?” She asks him, and the drone wiggles in the air as it considers.

“I mean… I wouldn’t mind - but are you sure your dad will be okay with you dragging a random guy’s drone over?” He questions sweetly. Akane gives a nod.

“Don’t worry! Dad’s a total sweetie, he won’t mind in the slightest!” Akane promises him, and Hal gives a small sigh.

“I mean, if you’re sure...” he says dubiously, before following behind Akane. She hurries back, and flings her arms around an unsuspecting Akira’s back.

“Whoa!” Her silly brother flails in surprise, and Hal veers out of the way to avoid getting hurt. “Man, sis, you’re heavy!” He complains, but obediently hikes his sister up.

“I found you a Rudolph pal!” She tells him, and he rolls his eyes, turns around to face Hal. The boy blinks.

“That’s a cool drone,” he says, and Hal preens again.

“Why  _ thank _ you,” he says, smiling at the boy. “Er, so you guys are handing out presents? Isn’t that part of the police department’s job?” He asks, and a dark voice answers him.

“And you  _ would _ know all about that, wouldn’t you Harold Clark?” Dad’s voice is in growly bear mode, and the poor drone jumps up a foot, skitters away from her Dad.

“Da-ad!” She immediately hops off her twin to chew her father out, and he gets a brief deer headlights look at her scolding expression. “Hal was  _ very _ nice you know! He was just trying to do his Christmas shopping and agreed to be moral support for Kira!” She pokes a small, sharp finger into his chest, and he backs away.

Behind him, Jin muffles a laugh, and Alicia’s shoulders are shaking suspiciously. Hal anxiously lowers back to Akane’s eye level.

“Max, relax. Of all the people we work with, Hal is probably the most harmless.” Jin says softly, gives the startled drone a smile. Akane  _ and _ Akira both gasp.

“You work with  _ Dad?” _ The twins chime together, staring unabashedly at the drone.

“Er… yeah? I work tech division,” Hal meeps.

_ “That’s so cool!” _ Akane and Akira say immediately, and Hal gives a surprised squeak. That was it. Hal was officially the  _ coolest _ person she could have invited to help.

“I feel better about being Rudolph now. Thanks sis,” Kira says to her in a quiet aside, and she tries not to beam too obviously.

* * *

Jin watches Max sulk, amused. Hal really was harmless, but the poor dear kept freezing up every time Max’s glare met his optics. The kids thought he was hilarious, a protective Santa over his youngest elf. The parents thought he was a classic parent, and were entertained.

“We’ll be right back,” Jin tells a cheerful Alicia, who is dancing with some of the more enthusiastic kiddos to get them calm enough to accept their presents. Alicia waves without looking, and Jin lovingly nudges his boyfriend away, coaxing him down a hallway and out of sight.

Max’s outraged expression melts when Jin slams him against the wall and kisses him fiercely. Max happily reciprocates, kissing him back and hiking Jin higher, hand sliding up to hoist Jin closer. His mouth was so  _ warm _ , and the beard lightly scratches against his cheeks, a perfect contrast. Jin pulls back, and Max tries to pout.

“Ah-ah. No.” Jin tells him. “Leave poor Hal alone. The boy is behaving himself, Akane and Akira are having fun, and Alicia’s also enjoying herself. Get rid of that grumpy cloud over your head, or you’re sleeping on the couch again, you hear?” Max gives him a whine.

“But I’m supposed to be the grumpy dad,” he whines into Jin’s hair, and Jin laughs softly. He leans back to pull Max’s head away from his, cups the back of his head and draws him for another kiss. Max melts into him so easily, and Jin quiets his many attempts to protest, leaving them both kiss-mussed and a bit dizzy. “Can’t you be the happy parent?” He complains, and both freeze at the inadvertent confession. Jin’s eyes are wide, and his face is flush with embarrassment and pleasure.

“Oh. Is that what you  _ want?” _ Jin breathes happily, and Max’s face turns bright red. He ducks his head, mouth pressing against Jin’s neck. “Max, darling, you only had to  _ ask, _ you silly man.” He dips his head to kiss his silly Captain again, the two very,  _ very _ distracted for several minutes while Jin does his best to kiss Max senseless.

“Mmph,” Max mumbles against his lips, cheeks flush with pleasure. “Merry Christmas?” He tries, and Jin laughs softly.

“Merry Christmas, you gigantic dork.”


End file.
